Why did I make a Viking necklace?

 

​There are things that simply find you. You don’t go looking for them, you don’t plan them, they’re just there - and by the time you realise, you’re already tangled up in them, both literally and figuratively. That’s exactly what happened when I decided to make a Viking Age-inspired glass bead necklace.

 

Not because it’s trendy. Not just because it looks cool. It’s something more than that. This necklace is my way of honouring Scandinavian ancestors, history, and culture. And once I had made that decision, it felt only right to really dig into the story behind these necklaces and beads. There’s hardly any information in Hungarian about Scandinavian beads, so I thought: why not share what I’ve found?

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The vikings of Scandinavia were particularly fond of glass beads, but their necklaces often contained amber and various stones as well. It’s a classic example of “a bit of sparkle, but keep it grounded.” :) Most beads were imported - in Iceland for example, as far as we know from the finds glass beads were never produced. Scandinavian craftspeople did make their own beads too, but the most special ones probably came from the eastern Mediterranean, Central Asia or the Baltic region.

In many cases, beads were strung as decorative strands on the oval brooches that women traditionally wore at their shoulders, but full bead necklaces have also been found. To be honest, these glass beads have a nice weight to them, so it was probably much more comfortable to wear them attached to brooches. These ornaments and necklaces were very diverse, made up of different amounts of glass beads, gemstones, amber and silver beads. The exact combination depended a lot on how wealthy the family was, since beads made from rare gemstones and silver mostly came from Western Europe and were quite expensive.

The colour, shape, and decoration of the beads said a lot about the wearer. Smaller, simpler glass beads often formed long, colourful necklaces complemented with a few larger, more spectacular beads, they likely functioned as status symbols as well. Dark purple beads that almost look black were very popular, as were beads with white zigzag or “eye” patterns. According to some theories, these were made in western Turkestan.

My eye was already caught by these tiny colourful wonders at the museum in Gamla Uppsala and I still regret not buying a few in the museum shop. But online trade works miracles and there are places where they not only sell replica beads, but also describe their history and find spots (link at the bottom). This time I bought a few handmade replica beads on Etsy, plus some extra beads and stones from here and there for the necklace.

At the centre of my necklace is a handmade Thor’s hammer, an Ödeshög replica - that is, a copy based on an original Viking Age pendant. For the Scandinavians of that time, wearing amulets and pendants wasn’t just about decoration: these objects carried deep symbolism and were an organic part of their faith and culture. One of the best-known symbols is Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir, which was often worn as a necklace. Mjölnir was not just the weapon of Thor, the god of thunder, but also a symbol of protection and strength. People in the North believed that wearing a Mjölnir pendant protected them from chaos, evil, and violence.

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Beyond that, they also wore various other amulets on their necklaces, each with its own specific meaning. From the maker of my Thor’s hammer amulet, I also bought two more replica amulets for this necklace. These are also based on original Viking Age finds, both from Scandinavian culture of the 9th-11th centuries. For some reason, these two drew me in, but later I’d like to add a Freyja amulet as well.

 

The first is a Borre-style dragon/snake pendant (Birka, Sweden, 9th century). The Borre style is a distinctive Viking art style (9th-10th century), characterised by intricate interlaced animal figures. The serpent or dragon was a common symbol embodying strength, protection, and the hidden powers of the world. This pendant has been found several times in Birka’s cemetery (in graves 835, 968 and 1084), which suggests that it was popular among the Vikings and may have functioned as an amulet or a status marker. Serpent/dragon motifs can also be linked to the worlds of Odin, Loki, or Thor, as all three gods are connected to this symbol in different ways.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other is a replica of a Gørding snake pendant (Denmark, c. 1000), found in Gørding, Denmark. In Viking mythology, the snake represented the duality of life and death. The fine workmanship of the original suggests that it may have belonged to a high-status person, perhaps a leader or a ritual specialist. The serpent was also a symbol of long life and survival, people believed it could drive away evil spirits and harmful energies. It is connected to Loki and Jörmungandr as well - to the immense forces that shape the universe.

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Wearing such amulets and pendants was therefore not just about aesthetics, but carried deep spiritual and cultural meaning in the life of a Viking Age person. (As it does in mine too. :)

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Stones also appear on these necklaces. Based on descriptions, I mainly used amber and jet (which technically aren’t minerals) for mine. The larger strand, the one with the pendants and replica beads, I strung in the traditional way on a thin hemp cord, so from the stones only the 10 mm jet beads with bigger holes went on there. I also made a shorter chain with amber, and at the bottom I hung a "Gotland-style" pendant that I bought about 15 years ago. I call it only “replica-like” because the rock crystal in it is incomplete, and at that time almost no one here was seriously dealing with Viking jewellery in Hungary. I have no idea where I ordered it from, I just remember picking it up in a private flat, which was quite an experience in itself. :D

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Among the vikings, beads were not only jewellery but also common gifts. According to the Icelandic sagas, gift-giving was a kind of social obligation, a tool for building relationships and according to some, even a kind of strategy. After all, if you give someone a gift they can’t possibly match, they owe you a debt that lasts forever. So with a well-chosen string of beads you could practically bind someone to you for life? Not a bad tactic. :D

With the spread of Christianity, the use of beads declined, and by the 13th century Icelandic texts mention them as the adornment of “old pagan witches.” From that angle, it’s rather ironic that later they reappeared in the form of rosaries as Christian prayer tools. But perhaps this just proves that beads have always carried a certain mystical, spiritual significance.

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And why did I decide now that I had to have such a necklace of my own? Because I felt the same kind of calling as when I started making my own rune set. This won’t just be a pretty accessory, it has already gone onto my home altar. I wore it for the first time at my first Sigrblót because it felt like that’s how it should be, and I plan to wear it only on special occasions or at certain events. I’ll probably still tweak it a bit, because the larger one, the one with Thor’s hammer, is quite heavy.

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The story of the beads made it very clear to me that these are not just decorations. They are a way of reaching back into the ancient past, a connection to those who walked this path before us. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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ANCIENT INSPIRATIONS, MODERN INFLUENCES

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It’s fascinating to see that these ancient bead patterns and motifs didn’t just enchant people in the past. They also touch modern scandinavians deeply, whether consciously or unconsciously. I think they often echo back in Scandinavian design as well. The forms, colours, and decorations dreamed up by the old masters carry a kind of timeless beauty that filters through from generation to generation and continues to inspire today’s creators.

Take the famous kurbits pattern for example. This motif from Swedish folk art is based on stylised depictions of plants and flowers, and it actually carries the influences of medieval art and craftsmanship. Even though it wasn’t taken directly from bead designs, I still feel that the same decorative, playful spirit and nature-centred perspective appears in it that once characterised early scandinavian glass beads. The kurbits pattern is just one example of how such ancient motifs have become a fundamental element of Scandinavian aesthetics.

But this tradition didn’t stop at folk crafts. Modern Scandinavian design - known worldwide for its simplicity, clean lines, and use of natural materials - also draws from these early forms. The colours - deep blues, amber yellows, earthy tones - all recall nature and traditional materials. The patterns often include spiral, twisted or geometric forms, which once appeared on bead decorations too. On contemporary Scandinavian textiles, ceramics, and furniture design we can find recurring elements that are not direct copies, but in my view still reflect the spirit of the ancient aesthetic.

Perhaps the most interesting part is that this is not the result of conscious imitation. It’s not that today’s artists are deliberately trying to copy the past. It’s more like a natural heritage: these motifs and colours have seeped into the culture and visual tradition, forming an invisible thread between old and new forms. The result is that wherever we look in Scandinavian design, we find a sort of timelessness where history and modernity blend together harmoniously. This is what makes Scandinavian aesthetics so special and lovable: it’s both ancient and contemporary, close to nature yet fresh, traditional and innovative at the same time. :)

 

IN GENERAL ABOUT SCANDINAVIAN GLASS BEADS

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These tiny objects were not just colourful decorations on the clothing of people long ago - they also carried deeper spiritual and cultural messages. Studying beads found in late iron age graves gives us a glimpse into the technical skills of ancient craftspeople, and into how these objects connected their wearers to distant lands and cultures.

The tools and process of making glass beads haven’t changed that much over the last thousand years: you needed a small furnace, bellows, and a metal rod (a mandrel) around which the hot glass was wound or pulled. This technique is almost like a spiritual act that has survived through time - the human, the fire, and the material creating something together as if performing a timeless rite. :)

Beadmaking required not only technical skill but also intuition, because viking craftspeople didn’t produce glass themselves, they imported it from the continent or even from distant Constantinople. They also used special base materials whose patterns still enchant us today. They even made beads out of Roman mosaic glass.

Viking Age glass beads were not only beautiful, their meaning ran deeper. Wear marks on their surfaces tell us how often they were worn and hint at how precious they must have been to their owners. As the Nordlys Viking website puts it: “The Vikings didn’t have sports cars, but they had glass beads!” This line sums up, in a humorous yet accurate way, how these objects expressed wealth and status. Just like today, when we collect things that are beautiful and valuable, for viking women beads were a way to express beauty, wealth, and identity.

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Colours and patterns tell stories about the traditions of regions, communities, or families. On the island of Lovö, for example, plain red beads dominate, as if they carried the local identity like secret symbols. In the harbour of Hedeby, hundreds of blue beads were found in a pouch, mixed with gold coins. Who knows, maybe they even functioned as a form of currency…

If you’d like more detailed information about glass beads and how they were made, the links below offer in-depth articles, photos, and source references:

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VIKING AGE GLASS BEADS

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GLASS BEADS FOUND IN ICELAND

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MOA RÅHLANDER’S DETAILED THESIS (2017)

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And if you’ve now got the itch to create a spiritual tool like this for yourself, you can buy authentic replica glass beads (and much more) from this Swedish site. It’s worth reading not only the bead descriptions (which type was found where), but I can also highly recommend their blog.

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NORDLYSVIKING